Combined bosom and collar and cuff press



Aug. 11, 1936. E. A. MALL 2,050,618

COMBINED BOSOM AND COLLAR AND CUFF PRESS FiledFeb. 9, 19:54 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 EDWIN A. MALL.

I I 1 I ATTORNEYS- Aug. 11, 1936. A MALL 2,050,618

COMBINED BOSOM AND COLLAR AND CUFF PRES- Filed Fgb. 9, 1934 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR EDWIN A. MALL Patented Aug. 11, 1936 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE- COMBINED BOSOM AND COLLAR AND CUFF PRESSApplication February 9, 1934, Serial No. 710,486

10 Claims.

This invention relates to a combined shirt bosom and collar and cut!pressing or ironing machine.

Separate machines have heretofore been provided for the pressingorironing of these parts of men's shirts, that is to say, one machinefor pressing bosoms and back yoke portions, and another machine forpressing collars or neckbands and cuffs. Many users of laundry equipmenthave a sufficient volume of work to justify the purchase of one machinebut not sufilcient to justify an investment in two machines. Suchestablishments, therefore, do the work by hand and are deprived of thebenefits both as to labor saving and improved appearance which is theresult of machine operations. One object of my invention is to provide,in one machine, combined equipment for machine finishing the bosom andcollars and cuffs of men's shirts, thus for the first time, to myknowledge, making commercially practicable the machinefirushing of theseparts in small establishments.

Another object of the invention is to arrange a machine of the classjust described adaptable to the finishing of collar-attached or neckbandstyle shirts with very little adjustment on the part of the operator.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a buck adapted topress the bosoms of shirts in coaction with a chest having a recessedportion to accommodate the neckband of the shirtduring the bosompressing operation, and a second buck adapted to press collars and cuffsandarranged to move selectively into coaction with the same chest butarranged to coact with the unrecessed portion of the chest.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will appear from theaccompanying specification together with the drawings in which likereference characters refer to similar parts in the various views. I

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is an elevation of one type of pressing machineembodying my in-' vention with the bosom buck in pressing engagementwith the chest and the collar and cuff buck unit in loading position;Fig. 2 is a plan view of the pressing machine of Fig. 1, the upperportion of the frame and the chest being broken away to show thearrangement of the bucks; Fig. 3 is a plan view of theleft portion ofFig. 2 showing one of the pressing elements thereof in reversed positionto accommodate a different style of shirt; Fig. 4 is a section along theline 4-4 of Fig. 3 omitting the garment; while Fig 5 is a section on theline H of Fig. 3 omitting the garment and showing the upper surface ofthe'buck elements in full elevation.

My invention is applicable to any press where a plurality of pressingbeds are movable into cooperation with a single chest and the special 5arrangement of the collar and cut! pressing elements is applicable toany type of press. I have chosen to illustrate my improvements asapplied to a press .of the type illustrated, described and claimed inthe Patent No. 1,997,219, 10 granted April 9, 1935, to Oscar W. Johnson,which shows power means for rotating the buck units alternately intocoacting position with a single chest. However, it will be understood bythose skilled in the art that my improvements 15' are equally applicableto a press of the type shown in Patent No. 1,115,187, granted October27, 1914 to A. T. Hagen and D. M. Cooper, where the buck-carrying frameis movable by hand. 2

The press illustrated comprises a fixed frame portion l0 supporting achest II, which may be heated in any well known manner, and a rotatableframe portion |2 carrying a bosom buck l3 and a combined collar and cuffbuck unit It. 25 The bucks l3- and M are movable alternatively intoposition to coact with the chest II. The bucks are arranged for verticalmovement relative to the rotatable frame by means of pressure pins l5and I6 depending from the bucks through suitable bores in the frame inposition to register with and be raised by the rod ll of a piston l8enclosed in a suitable cylinder l9 in the stationary frame portion l0.As stated above, the frame l2 may be rotated by hand althoughthemechanism shown illustrates power means for rotating the bucks. Thispower means forms no part of this invention, referencev being had to theabove mentioned Johnson patent for further description thereof ifdesired. Suitable means is provided, indicated generally at 20, forstopping a buck in registering position beneath the chest-whereuponfluid under pressure is admitted to. cylinder l9 beneath the piston l8by a valve arrangement indicated generally at 2|. This raises theregistering buck into pressing or ironing engagement with the chest ll;Upon completion of the pressing operation the fluid pressure controlvalves are reversed to exhaust the cylinder, the parts move downwardlyout of ironing 1 engagement by their own weight, and the frame isrotated to reverse the position of the bucks. All this is old in the artand further description is thought unnecessary.

m2and3. Aseoondpressingelementiihasasuri'acesubstanflaliyreniiorminplanwitha downwardlyextendingboss 42adaptedtoiitinto aeorrespondingreoessainapedestalioto guide element 2'for rotation to e ther two positions. A pin 21 located centrally thereofsecures the buck element to the pedestal. One position is illustrated inFig. 2 with the concave edge toward element 2. This arrangement is usedfor collar-attached shirts. Fig. 3 shows buck element 26 in reversedposition with its convex edge toward the coil pressing element, thisposition being adapted to iron the neckband type of shirt. It is thuspossible to simultanemislyironthecuflsoiashirtonpressingelementIlandthecollarorneckbandoitheshirton element 2, the latter element beingturned into whichever oi its two positions is necessary to iron thestyle of shirt being processed.

Clamps are provided for holding the neckband in position, these beingclearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4 as comprising clamping portions 2! havingdownwardly extending arm portions 30 substantially normal to theclamping portions and carried in guides 31 extending longitudinally ofthe neckband. The clamps are -maintained in clamping position by tensionsprings 32 extending from the lower ends of the arm portions to thepedestal and attached preferably by pivotal connections to brackets 33on the buck pedestal. Handles 3 are provided to manipulate the clamps.The clamps are easily moved to various positions longitudinally of thebuck element or neckband by moving them arcuateiy about the springpivots.

.The two buck elements 25 and ii are preferably supported on a commonpedestal 28 which maybemadehollowasshowninFiga4and5 and provided with anoutlet conduit H for the removal of condensate from the buck elements.This removal is accomplished by way of passageway 35 leading fromelement 25 and passageways 36 in buck element 26, these latterpassageways being equally spaced from pin 27 and adapted to registerwith coasting openings 31 in the buck pedestal in both positions orelement 25. For maintaining element 26 in either of its twopositionsaspringpressedball3lmaybeprovided in a recess in the pedestalwith depressions I! and ll in the lower surface of element 26 onopposite sides of pin 21 and into which the ball 38 may enter when theelement reaches its proper positions. The buck element 2 is easilyaosacia rotatedagainstthepressureoithespringpressedbailbyapuliononeendoithehuckelement.'llnpedestalllisguidediniinverticalmovemmtbyarodilaengaginginaboreliinabnck'ctextensimontheframell. Intheupernttmotthismachineatfliestartdthedayswmhtheoperatorpiaoesaiirstgarmmtinpositionontheooliarandcuitbuckunituahowninl'igsJoriidependingonthe .typeoishirttobernessed. Theirameiiisthen l0 rotated 180' toposition the garment beneath thechestandtheirmingoperationonthecollarand cuiisisperionned.Theirameisthenrotated 180' back to the loading position, the operatorremovesthemstshirtoiwhichthecoilarandlo cudshavebeenpremedandplacesitonahanger. Sbethmplacesasecondshirtonthecoliu'andcuflbuckunitandrepeatstheabove operation. This brings the bosombuck into loadingpositionandshetakesthefirstshirtzo previously placed ona hanger and arranges it on the bosom book in position to press thebosom thereof. The frame is again rotated whereuponthecollarandcuitbuckunitisa flinbroushtto loading position while anironing operation takes placeonthebosombuck. Thesecondshirtis removedfrom the collar and coil. buck unit and a third shirt placed thereon andthereafter the frame is rotated 18D and the completely ironed firstshirt is removed from the bosom buck. This process is repeatedthroughout the day's work, each shirt having the collar and culls ironedfirst, then being removed to a hanger and placed on the bosom buck atthe next operation.

The owner of a small establishment is enabled 85 by the use oi myimproved machine to obtain machine finishing of the bosoms and collarsand suits of mens shirts with a minimum investment. when a growingvolume of business warrants it, a second machine may be purchased likethe first, or each machine may be provided with two bucks just alike, orthe first machine may be transformed into a bosom pressing machine ofthe type disclosed in the above-mentioned Johnson patent and a collarand cuff machine of a different type may be grouped therewith.

WhatIclaim is:

1. In a pressing machine, a chest, a buck having two spaced pressingelements adapted to coact with said chest, one of said elements havingdifierent shaped edges, and means enabling the reversing of the positionof said one element to premnt either of its said edges toward the otherelement, whereby to accommodate articles havlug spaced portions to beironed, one of which i portions may vary as to shape.

2. A pressing member comprising two spaced pressing elements mounted ona common base member, one of said elements being substantiallyrecinnguiar and adapted to accommodate two shirt suds thereupon, theother of said elements having opposed edges, one edge concave and theother edge convex for ironing shirt collars oi diilerent shape, andmeans enabling the reversing of the position of said last-named elementto prsent its concave or convex side toward the first named element,whereby the collar and ends oi! shirts of difierent styles may besimultaneously ironed.

3. In a press of the class described having a pressing element adaptedto accommodate work of various lengths mounted on a support, an L- shapeclamp having a clamping portion adapted to engage the work against thepressing surface oi said element, an arm portion extending subironingapproach between said chest and each stantially normal to said clampingportion, means mounting said arm portion for movement to variouspositions along said pressing surface, said mounting means includingmeans biasing said clamping portion toward said pressing surface, andmeans for retaining said clamping portion over said pressing surface invarious positions of said clamp.

4. In a press of the class described having a pressing element adaptedto accommodate work of various lengths mounted on a support, an L- shapeclamp having a clamping portion adapted to engage the work against thepressing surface of said element, an arm portion extending substantiallynormal to said clamping portion, a tension spring connected between thefree end of said arm portion and said pressing element support forbiasing said clamping portion toward said pressing surface, and meansfor retaining said clamping portion over said pressing surface invarious positions of said clamp.

5. In a pressing machine, an ironing chest having a substantiallyhorizontal pressing surface with a neckband recess therein, two buckmembers movable alternately into registration with said chest, one buckmember comprising a bosom board always in a horizontal position andhaving a neckband former, the other buck member having two pressingsurface parts always horizontal, one part for a shirt collar, the otherpart for shirt cuffs, said other buck member being adapted as a unit tocooperate with the unrecessed portion of said chest, and means forcausing'relative ironing approach between said chest and each buckmember when in registration therewith.

6. A pressing machine as in claim 5, and in which said collar pressingpart of said other buck member is provided with edges of differentconformation, and said shirt collar part is arranged to selectively moveeach of said edges into position next to said cuff pressing part, where--by shirts having varying collar styles may be pressed on the onemachine.

7. In a pressing machine, an ironing chest having a substantiallyhorizontal pressing surface, two buck members movable alternately intoregistration with said chest, one buck member comprising a bosom boardalways in a horizontal position and adapted to coact with said chest ina shirt body pressing operation, the other buck member having twopressing surface parts always horizontal, one part for a shirt collar,the other part for shirt cuffs, said parts being arranged with a spacebetween them adapted to receive the body of a shirt while the collar andcuffs thereof are being pressed, said other buck member being adapted asa unit to cooperate with said chest, and means for causing relative buckmember when in registration therewith.

8. In a pressing machine, an ironing chest having a substantiallyhorizontal pressing surface with a neckband recess therein, a framerotatable about a vertical axis, two buck members mounted on said frameand movable by frame rotation alternately into registration with saidchest while exposing the non-registering member adjacent an operator,one buck member comprising a bosom board always in a horizontal positionand having a neckband former, the other buck member having two pressingsurface parts always horizontal, one part for a shirt collar, the otherpart for shirt cuffs, said parts being arranged with a space betweenthem adapted to receive the body of a shirt while the collar and cuffsthereof are being pressed, said other buck member being adapted as aunit to cooperate with the unrecessed portion of said 20 chest on saidframe having a substantially hori- 25 zontal pressing surface, a bucksupport mounted in said frame for rotation about a vertical axis, twobuck members on said support and movable by support rotation to registerone buck member with said chest while exposing the other buck memberadjacent an operator's position, one buck member comprising a shirt bodypressing member, the other buck member having two pressing surfaceparts, one part for a shirt collar, the other part for shirt cuffs, saidparts being arranged with a space between them adapted to receive thebody of a shirt while the collar and cufls thereof are being pressed,said-other buck member being adapted as a unit to cooperate with saidchest, means for causing relative ironing approach between said chestand each buck member when in registration therewith, and means mountingsaid other buck member removably on said support whereby said other buckmember may be replaced by a shirt body pressing buck member.

10. In a pressing member having anelement for pressing a cuff portion ofa shirt of collar or neckband type, an element spaced from said cuffpressing element and having edges of different shape, one edge beingconcave and adapted for pressing the collar of one type of shirt,another edge being convex and adapted for pressing the neckband ofanother type of shirt, and means whereby said last named element may bemoved to present either'of said edges toward the cuff pressing elementto permit simultaneous pressing of the collar or neckband and the cuffportion of a shirt.

EDWIN A. MALL.

